It’s that time of year. The gyms are filled with heavy resolve and goal lists and planners abound. The new year is a great opportunity to step back and examine our lives and decide what bad habits to weed out and what new activities to adopt. I honestly love this time of year just for this reason. It’s total permission to start over and develop new life practices. Everyone wants to better something in their life, so to provide inspiration, I am sharing a few things I am working on in myself and my life in 2017.
1. Develop a healthier morning routine.
I can create a to-do list for the day within 5 minutes of waking up, AND start on the first item within the following 60 seconds. On mornings where I don’t jump into work right away, the alternative is rolling around trying to fall back asleep for an hour. Either way, this is not the best way to start my mornings. In 2017, I want to develop a healthier morning routine that includes offering my first minutes to God in prayer and reading and not getting started on work until I have eaten breakfast, showered, and put clothes on (working from home can actually make this hard sometimes). My hope is by starting my morning off right, I will see big changes in the trajectory of my day and my mood!
2. Look into becoming a certified Christian life coach.
Ok, this is a big, personal goal. Like a too-scary-to-announce-online kind of goal, but I’m doing it anyways. For about a year I didn’t even mention the idea to too many people because I worried that I would never have the guts to take the leap into this. Six months or so ago when I was graduating from Evangel with my degree in Psychology, I was slightly heartbroken because I knew I was leaving my favorite field of study to go full time with my photography business. While I have zero regrets and LOVE my job, there has continued to be a part of me that wants to continue my skills in the helping profession.
3. Write more.
I love writing, but it’s one of those things that unless I set aside time for it, it gets ignored. Aside from blog posts, I want to hone my writing voice and style and just really enjoy this part of myself again.
4. Do a Passion Project.
Unknown to the online world, I have begun to work on an artistic side business. My goal is to launch a design Etsy shop offering prints, hand lettering and watercolor services, as well as invitation suites. Throughout the years, I have regularly taken on freelance design projects like wedding invitations or creative business logos, so with the encouragement of family members, I’ve finally decided to make this a “real” thing! It’s perfect for my off-seasons and is an extremely enjoyable outlet for me, so I’d like to see it take presence in my life. I find that anyone doing some kind of “passion project” just seems to be happier, more focused, and less distracted by social media/tv/overeating/unhealthy habits. You should try it! Don’t be afraid of failure, because passion projects are just for you (and sometimes it can even become a side income!).
5. Go to bed earlier.
Being an extreme morning person, I think people think I go to bed at like, 8:30 pm. False. I tend to do creative things at night that keep me up late, or if I’m behind on work or in the middle of wedding season, I have been known to edit until 2 or 3 am. Let’s be human here, Shelby. I cannot function on low sleep. I mean, I can, but I’m usually irritable and end up watching Netflix for two hours mid-day because I feel like I need a break. I had TERRIBLE sleeping (or lack thereof) habits in college, and I saw how it negatively affected my life and energy levels, so this one I’d love to just nip in the bud.
6. Don’t work at night.
This one goes with number 5. I have a bad habit of working throughout night. When you own your own business, everything is your responsibility – so when I am behind on editing photos or ordering prints, I panic and end up working all night rather than being like a normal person and taking the evening off. While yes, getting things out on time is valuable, I would like to adopt the thinking that I myself am MORE valuable. Not only that, but the evenings are when I have time with my husband, friends, family, etc. This is way to valuable to be engulfed by work. I am planning to take this a step further by just leaving my work laptop (imagine this) AT WORK. I think this will be soooo much healthier for my mental health.
7. Books over TV.
Let’s be real. At the end of the day, sitting mindlessly with the TV on requires less brain cells than reading. The thing is, we don’t even get cable! I get way more out of reading a book at night, and on top of that, there are studies that watching TV before bed actually makes it harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep.
8. Memorize Bible passages.
When I was in elementary school, we had to memorize a Bible verse every week. With that being said, you would think I could recite half the New Testament, but I have only a handful of scriptures I truly feel like I can readily go to in my mind. This year, I would like to spend more time memorizing scripture and hiding it in my heart.
9. Develop a self-care routine.
I started getting into a self-care routine during my last semester of school, but I’m slowly realizing more and more how beneficial (and not selfish) this concept is. So far I’ve incorporated a time into my schedule once a week for a bath (which I never used to be a bath girl, but it’s growing on me), but would like to choose a few more slots in my schedule for calming, centering activities like meditation, listening to worship music, or just writing.
10. Do group fitness classes / workout with others.
I actually really enjoy working out, but have fallen into the habit of working out alone (or not working out at all). When working out with my husband, mom, or brother, I notice that I don’t skimp on that last rep and have a lot more accountability– and fun! I’m looking into some new group fitness classes to even meet some new friends. That way while staying in shape, I’m also expanding my community.
What are your goals for the new year? I’d love to hear them! I’d also love to know if anyone has a Bible verse or passage for the year. The above image of 2 Timothy 1:7 is mine!
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